kubiac Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 I realized I might have a problem coming! I'm a professional writer and have always been verbally and linguistically fluent, but I don't recall learning any reading readiness skills. I can only remember startling my kindergarten teacher Mrs. Gonzalez when I asked, "OK, but how do you spell the alphabet?" (She thought I was crazy and/or especially dumb, but I was sure that there was a secret code underneath the code. I think I was expecting to be told: "ay, bee, cee, dee, ee, ef, gee, aych, aye, jay...") Anyway, through either a failing of the Los Angeles public education system or because I never needed the information, I don't know the difference between a short or a long vowel, I don't know what a phoneme or a phonogram is, I don't know what those funky symbols mean, and I think "schwa" and "diphthong" sound like ironic band names. But I'm starting to suspect that I should learn and internalize this information so I can deploy it when exploring English with my son. (I've also worked as a professional copy editor but everything I know about punctuation, style and grammar was acquired piecemeal, so I'm concerned about that as well, but at least that's a few more years out.) Anyway, is there an adult-appropriate phonics or fundamentals of reading book or resource you guys can recommend that might be a good primer for me, the grownup? Help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JESSICAinMD Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 This is one I like: http://www.amazon.com/ABCs-All-Their-Tricks/dp/0880621494 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boscopup Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 Elizabeth's thephonicspage.org has video lessons. You could also pick up WRTR (Writing Road to Reading), which is the Spalding manual. It's inexpensive. I didn't know a lot of the phonics stuff either, until I started teaching my kids. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aurelia Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 Elizabeth's thephonicspage.org has video lessons. You could also pick up WRTR (Writing Road to Reading), which is the Spalding manual. It's inexpensive. I didn't know a lot of the phonics stuff either, until I started teaching my kids. :) :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kubiac Posted July 7, 2011 Author Share Posted July 7, 2011 Awesome. Looking forward to learning this. Thank you for the resource suggestions. I'll get them ASAP! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 I learned the most about phonics while OBSESSING over which Greek and Latin pronunciation systems to use. Sorry, I still haven't finished learning phonics yet, so...can't help you; I'm listening with you though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soror Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 I'm learning here as well! It is amazing to me I did so well in High School and College. I made 100% on many papers, including honors classes, yet so many things I cannot remember at all. I don't know how I wrote then, or could manage spelling. It seems I keep forgetting how to spell words that I am sure I knew before. Phonics is a big blur for me beyond the basics. Really anything to do with LA I find baffling. I think I need to take myself through Elizabeth's lessons as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizabethB Posted July 8, 2011 Share Posted July 8, 2011 You shouldn't have to watch all the lessons...you could watch the first one, then 5, 6, 8, 9, 14, 15, 18 - 24, 26 -29. I'm working on updating the spelling lessons with all the stuff I've learned in the last 8 years since I made the spelling lessons originally, but right now there is a lot more structure in the phonics lessons than the spelling lessons--all the same things are taught, but it is currently better organized in the phonics lessons. For example, I just added these charts to lesson 26, they is a good overview of vowel organization in English. The book "The ABCs and All Their Tricks" is a valuable reference tool, I refer to it often. If you want phonogram cards, I like these because they are correlated to the above book, and they have a nice poster with some spelling rules to go with them. http://www.amazon.com/Phonics-Made-Plain-Chart-Flashcards/dp/0880621486/ref=pd_sim_b_3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbgrace Posted July 8, 2011 Share Posted July 8, 2011 Another thought--if you select a solid phonics program to teach your child you will learn with the child. I was undoubtedly taught some measure of phonics however I had no clue about phonograms and rules. I'm learning the why behind what I just knew right with them! It doesn't hurt to learn ahead of course but don't feel pressure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soror Posted July 8, 2011 Share Posted July 8, 2011 Elizabeth- thanks so much for that book rec, I am definitely putting it on my list. I find myself more and more frustrated not knowing the rules when I am trying to teach. We are starting with AAS as well which I hope helps with that but I would like it to be a bit faster than what I can teach him for learning myself,obviously. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zenjenn Posted July 8, 2011 Share Posted July 8, 2011 (edited) Most likely you DO know phonics, it is just that you've forgotten all the jargon and the rules are no longer something you consciously think about. Also here's a secret - very little of that stuff matters in the long run, as evidenced by the fact that you are an articulate, literate person who has managed to work as an editor even without knowing what a diphthong is. Some of it I would consider good to know as basic knowledge (such as long and short vowels. Really, you should know that. ;) ) But a LOT of that stuff is not really relevant to 99% of people, even home educators. When they are useful, they are generally only useful during the process of education, not as an end-game goal of education. "Diphthong", for example is a term for educators or speech therapists. If a child cannot learn or say them, I need to be able to identify the classification of vowel sound that the student or patient is having trouble with, or do identify what is being taught in professional reports to school districts. So as a home educator, I think it is sufficient to have a phonics book. Sections will be identified using this jargon, and as the educator, you can take note of the classifications *if* it is helpful to you, so that you can observe what your child is learning and watch for mastery or problems in certain areas. If your kids intuit reading, you may never even need to think about it. Now, SOME of this is useful information to teach children. Long and short vowels were an example, or knowing terms like "contractions", "compound words", etc. But a lot of that jargon does not need to be taught to children, because it falls in the domain of "esoteric stuff for educators", educators being of the professional sort who need to use pretentious language to make it sound as if they are doing complicated work. Kind of like, you don't need to say to your child, "We will be employing a spiraling approach in your study of mathematics in order to assure your mastery of numeracy." Your kid doesn't need to know that, and YOU don't even need to know that, for you to know how to teach your child basic math. Edited July 8, 2011 by zenjenn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizabethB Posted July 8, 2011 Share Posted July 8, 2011 Elizabeth- thanks so much for that book rec, I am definitely putting it on my list. I find myself more and more frustrated not knowing the rules when I am trying to teach. We are starting with AAS as well which I hope helps with that but I would like it to be a bit faster than what I can teach him for learning myself,obviously. You're welcome! I also have a list of rules on my how to tutor page, you will need both the spelling rules and syllable division rules, they are linked at the end. http://www.thephonicspage.org/On%20Reading/howtotutor.html The rules do not include suffix rules, those are in my phonics lesson 22. You shouldn't need suffix rules right off the bat, though, they are for older children, I do them towards the end of 1st or in 2nd grade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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